Billetproof, one of the largest – if not the largest – traditional hot rod shows, has been sold, and the new owner promises to expand on the formula.

Kirk Jones, one of two co-founders of Billetproof, announced last week that after more than a year with a For Sale sign in the window, he sold the show to Alan Galbraith, a Sacramento, California-based hot rodder who said he will now give up his full-time job and focus solely on producing Billetproof.

Billetproof is actually two annual shows. The first, which will mark its 10th anniversary this year, is the show in Antioch, California. The second, which will celebrate four years this year, takes place in Detroit. As the rules state on the Billetproof Web site, only 1964 and earlier traditional cars will get in the gate, and only those not showing any visible billet parts.
“Over the last ten years, the hot rodding hobby has changed for the better, and in however small or large a way, Billetproof has helped that happen,” Jones said when announcing the sale. “From day one, Billetproof was intended to level the playing field between big-buck players and the dedicated no-buckers by giving us a place to show our stuff with pride. It has done that and more. I cannot put into words how proud I am of what Billetproof has accomplished and what it has become. It has gone far beyond any initial intentions without losing its integrity.”

Last March, Jones said that he had “taken Billetproof as far as I have the knowledge and energy to take it.”

Galbraith, who said he’s leaving a career in television to pursue Billetproof, also said he plans to add more shows to the existing two, including shows on the East Coast, in the Northwest, Southeast and lower Midwest, over the next few years.

As for this year’s two Billetproof shows, Detroit’s will take place on June 2, while the Antioch show will take place September 15. For more information, visit billetproof.com.

(This post originally appeared in the April 26, 2007, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)